Testing God.

Currently I'm testing God in one area of my life. Yes, I wrote it correctly.... "testing God".

Well, you may say that it is wrong to test God. Who are we human to test God our Maker.

I know that it is wrong for us to test God but this is the exception. And this exception is given by God Himself. And I believe that this is the only exception that I know of that allows us to test God in His faithfulness. And that area is about money. And this is stated in Malachi 3:10-11,

v10, - "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

v 11, - I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit, " says the Lord Almighty. - NIV.

I've known this Scripture for a long time. And I can say that I've faithfully bringing tithe into the storehouse (the church). God has been good to me. I've never lack anything that I need. Of course there are many things that I WANT but there's much difference between NEED and WANT. There will never be enough for a man's want/greed.

All this while I dare not test God in this area. How foolish I am. It is God Himself who asked us to test Him in this area. There is a difference between tithing because you think it is an obligation and tithing because you want to test God in His promise. God responds differently when He is being tested. He has a Name to protect and because He can't lie, He will ensure that His promises will come to pass.

Another of God's promise that I didn't really claim is the famous, "Ask, and you shall receive". Now, without going into much detail of the background aspect of these verses, it is sufficient to say that God wants us to pray, communicate, inform, petition, request or ask of Him. Just like a loving father who knows that his children want something which he would gladly give but withholds it because his children dare not ask. God who owns everything would gladly give it to us if only we ask of Him.

My mind is brought to the story of the Prodigal Son. I think most of us are like the older brother, who live with the Father with all the riches. The older son are faithful in serving his father, which I believes most devoted Christians would be able to say the same. The problem with the older son is that he never make full use of his father's riches. No, not in terms of squandering his father's money like the younger son, but rather in terms of enjoying his father's riches. I think most Christians live like the older son, dare not enjoy God's riches. Some of us don't even realize the full riches of God. At the end of the day, the older son got angry with the father when it is actually his fault for now enjoying the father's riches (by throwing a party and eating choice food).

Earlier this year, I asked God to bless me in my business. It is a request without much fervency. And as always, nothing much happened. Then I started to add fervency to it and things started to change. But then the blessings are still not as much as I expected it to be. (My expectations are reasonable expectations). Then I wonder why that I was not richly blessed when I have been faithfully tithing. As I remembered that God is asking to test Him, I told God that I want to test Him. I want to see Him fulfilling His promise in Malachi.

Since then, things has dramatically changed. I can see that God will always live up to His promise. And I'm excited to see the outcome of the full fulfillment of verse 10 and 11 of Malachi in my business. All glory and thanks be to God.